Chapter Ten: Getting To Know You
'Thirteen days until September 1st,' Hermione thought to herself. She was sitting on her sofa in the living room of her chambers. It was early in the morning and the sun was starting to rise. Hermione had always been an early-riser since she could remember. She checked her copy of the Marauder's Map and saw that Snape was still sleeping.
She chuckled quietly to herself. Snape sleeping reminded her too much of what happened the day before. 'Hit with a tranquilizer blow dart.' The smile on her face quickly faded away. She had been doing a horrible job as a bodyguard thus far. She was making a mockery of what it meant to be a Secret Auror. Vinny being able to enter Hogwarts and shoot Snape only proved it further. She sighed as she sunk lower into the sofa. Hermione was disappointed in herself. Ever since she entered the doors of Hogwarts, she felt like a kid again.
'Luckily, it was only Vinny and not Dolohov and Rookwood.' She was feeling even more horrible until something occurred to her. 'Obviously, the only way to redeem myself is to do what I was supposed to do in the first place. Protect Snape, never let him leave my sight, take note of anything suspicious, and watch out for Death Eaters. Start doing the job I love to do.'
With newly found inspiration, she got dressed. This time more practically in black jeans, sleeveless shirt, cloak, and boots. She strapped her handgun in her holster and positioned it so that her gun was at the back of her pants. Her cloak easily covered it up. She placed her wand and cell phone on her utility belt and pocketed extra ammo and the Marauder's Map. She hanged a pair of dark tinted glasses on the collar of her shirt. These were the essentials for the rest of her stay at Hogwarts.
'There is no room for error on this mission. One wrong move and Snape's dead. Then I'm out of a job.'
She checked herself in the mirror and decided to put her hair up in a neat and tight bun. She walked out of her chambers and stood next to Snape's painting. The wizard in it was still sleeping. Hermione checked her watch. '6:55am,' it read. She looked at the Map. Snape was awake and was getting dressed. She put away the Map and quietly stood next to his painting. About ten minutes later, it opened.
"Granger, what are you doing outside of my chambers?" Snape asked in his usual bored voice.
"Waiting for you. We're going to be spending a lot more quality time together."
"I suppose 'quality time together' means 'watch me like a hawk'?"
"That's right. Just what you wanted. Someone doing her job."
"Good. Now at least I have a competent guard." Hermione cocked her head at him and raised an eyebrow.
Snape changed the subject. "I'm going to the Great Hall. I need coffee. I'm sure you haven eaten yet."
Hermione stood silently for a moment and stared at him.
"I suppose I could do with some breakfast. It's the most important meal of the day, after all."
They walked next to each other to the Great Hall in silence. Hermione took in her surroundings. 'Nothing out of the ordinary,' she noted. They entered the Hall and sat down at the table. Snape was to Hermione's right -- the same seating arrangement as before.
Hermione followed him around for the rest of the day. It was starting to annoy him.
"Wherever you go, I go," Hermione said to him when he asked what she was doing.
'Oh yeah? We'll just see about that,' he thought.
He tried to get rid of her by walking faster but soon learned that Hermione could easily keep up with him. He then tried losing her when he went to the bathroom hoping that she wouldn't follow him in. He was wrong. She followed him into the bathroom. Snape's eyes widened a bit.
"I'm not scared of the men's bathroom, Snape. I've been in worse and smellier places before. And it takes a helluva lot more to scare me."
There was silence. Snape was still staring at her.
'What? Shy bladder? I can take a hint. I'll be waiting over there by the door with my back turned."
Snape was frustrated. Then, he had an idea. As they walked through the corridors, he quicken his pace and rounded a corner. He took a secret passage that lead to the dungeons. He turned around and saw no one behind him.
He grinned. 'She wasn't able to follow me then. I win.'
Feeling very proud of himself, he walked along the hallway and turned into the corridor that lead to his room only to find an angry Hermione waiting for him.
"What do you think you're doing?"
He was surprised and awestruck. "How did you get here before me?"
"Wouldn't you like to know? Like you, I have my own ways of getting around," she said vaguely. "I hope you learned a lesson. There is no way that I'm leaving you and there's no way you can get rid of me. Wherever you go, I go. I thought you would have got that after our visit to the bathroom."
Snape was quiet for a moment. 'I really am stuck with her.' He smiled a bit. "You are just as stubborn as I remember. Is this how the rest of the year will be like, Granger?"
Hermione smiled. "Nothing gets by you, Snape."
Over the next few days, Hermione learned a few things about Snape. He went to bed at around 12am-1am. He woke up everyday at 6:00am and was not a morning person. At breakfast, he took his coffee black with a dash of sugar, ate a bit of toast with strawberry jam or pancakes with maple syrup. Snape didn't have much of an appetite in the mornings, she noticed. He hated eggplants, raw carrots, radishes, and olives. He didn't have as great of a sweet tooth as Ron, but on occasion ate a chocolate frog. He didn't eat baked potatoes, but ate mashed potatoes. He didn't like garlic, but ate garlic bread.
'Heh, the man of paradoxes. And there goes the vampire theory Harry and Ron had about him,' Hermione thought.
Hermione's constant presence didn't annoy Snape as much now. He was getting used to having her near -- not that it was bothering him much in the first place. He found that she was a great conversation partner to have. She could talk about nearly anything and sound like she knew everything on that topic. That really didn't surprise him at all. Hermione was known to be the resident know-it-all back in her Hogwarts years. She had managed to befriend him, even if it was only slightly. This was quite an accomplishment considering Snape had no friends.
After dinner, about a week before the start of school, she escorted Snape to his rooms and walked to Dumbledore's office.
"Every Flavored Beans," she said to the gargoyle.
It moved aside and Hermione saw Dumbledore sitting behind his desk and petting Fawkes.
"Hello, Albus."
"Hello, Hermione," he said cheerfully. "Please, sit down. To what do I owe the pleasure of this visit? Every Flavored Bean?"
"Oh, thank you." She took one. 'Eww...earwax.' Recovering from the taste, she said, "I wanted to go over a few security details before school begins."
"Of course. What's on your mind?"
"Well, if it's not too much trouble, I'd like to have Charms classes held in the dungeons for the duration of the year. It would put me at ease if I were closer to my mark."
"Consider it done. I'll put your classroom and Severus' classroom next to each other," he said.
"Thank you, sir. I would also like to place more blanket wards on the school grounds."
"Of course. One can never have too many."
"And I've decided not to use an alias while I'm here. I already informed Director Shacklebolt and Director Judge about this. If anyone tries to look me up, my records will show that I've just graduated from medical school. My real records are sealed and locked away until further notice."
"Very good. There won't be any confusion when we call your name, then."
"None whatsoever." She smiled at him.
"Well, that's all I had to say. Thank you for your time, Albus."
"Not at all, Hermione. Remember, you are always welcomed in my office," he said as he smiled. His eyes twinkled.
"Thank you. I appreciate it." With that she left and went to decided to go to her chambers. When she was back in her rooms, she checked her Map and saw that Snape was still in his rooms -- just as she left him.
"I have gotta stop being so dependent on this little piece of parchment," she said.
She set up a mini potions lab in a corner of her living room and began working on a side project for the rest of the evening.
The rest of August passed without event, much to everyone's relief. It was now September 1st. Hermione was nervous, to say the least. She wore her best dress shirt and pants and an elegant dress robe. She wore her auburn hair down. Snape, she noticed, dressed up too.
As the day wore on, Hagrid and McGonagall left to meet the students as they got off from the Hogwarts Express. Hermione and the rest of the professors took their seats at the High Table and watched as the second years through seventh years filed into the Great Hall. Hermione recognized the four seventh years that she saw at Hogsmeade weeks ago. At Dumbledore's request, the Hall fell silent and moments later, McGonagall lead the group of first years through the center aisle of the Hall.
"When I call your name, you will put on the hat and sit on the stool to be sorted," McGonagall said as she held out a roll of parchment.
The sorting was just as exciting as she remembered. When everyone was sorted into their Houses, Dumbledore stood up and the Hall was immediately quiet.
"Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts! Tuck in!" Dumbledore cheerfully said.
Food immediately appeared and everyone ate to their heart's content. During dinner, Hermione noticed that she got a lot of odd looks from everyone. She had originally thought it was because the younger students had no clue who she was while the older students weren't sure if they recognized her or not.
That theory was immediately thrown away when she became acutely aware that the majority of the odd looks she received came from the Ravenclaw table. She was sure that the mixture of pointing, smirking, gawking, and laughing were about her and Snape when she spotted the four seventh year Ravenclaw students from Hogsmeade again. They seemed to be the epicenter of her unwanted attention.
'Stupid Rumor Mill. I make one joke about it and it comes back to bite me in the ass. Damn karma,' she bitterly thought.
When dinner was done, Dumbledore stood up again.
"I have a few start-of-term notices to give you. Professor Flitwick is on sabbatical this year. He gives his deepest apologies and says that he will be back next year. But we have a lovely young woman, whom some of you might remember, who will take over all of his duties. Please welcome your new Charms professor and Ravenclaw Head of House, Hermione Granger."
She stood up, smiled at them, gave them a little wave, and sat back down. The Hall erupted in applause and cheers. When it ended, Dumbledore continued his speech.
"Also, due to renovation, all Charms classes will now be held in the dungeons." The students began to murmur. "First years should note that the forest on the grounds is forbidden to all pupils. I have also been asked by Mr. Filch, the caretaker, to remind you all that no magic should be used between classes in the corridors. And now before we go to bed, let us sing the school song."
Snape groaned in annoyance.
"Oh c'mon," Hermione said as she lightly nudged him with her elbow. "Where's your school spirit?" She grinned at him. Snape glared at her in response. Dumbledore flicked his wand and golden snakelike words appeared. Everyone began to sing:
"Hogwarts, Hogwarts, Hoggy Warty Hogwarts,
Teach us something please,
Whether we be old and bald
Or young with scabby knees,
Our heads could do with some filling
With some interesting stuff,
For now they're bare and full of air,
Dead flies and bits of fluff,
So teach us things worth knowing,
Bring back what we've forgot,
Just do your best, We'll do the rest,
And learn until our brains all rot."
After the song, the prefects lead the first years to their common room. Hermione and Snape walked back to the dungeons.
"Charms classes in the dungeons?" Snape asked when they were alone.
"Surprise!" Hermione smiled at him only to receive a glare. "I told you that there's no way to get rid of me."
"You're true to your word, Granger. How very Gryffindor of you," Snape said as he smirked.
She chuckled. "Thanks."
Soon after, Hermione decided to call a mandatory Ravenclaw House meeting. She needed to do damage control and assert herself to them as soon as possible. 'First impression's everything.'
All the Ravenclaws gathered in their common room. There was quiet chatter among them. Then the entrance to their common room opened. Hermione walked in with a serious face and all the Ravenclaws were silent and looking expectantly at her.
Hermione took in her surroundings. The color scheme was certainly different than that of the Gryffindor common room. Everything was blue and bronze. A portrait of the Ravenclaw mascot, the eagle, hung above the fireplace. Besides from these obvious differences, the common room looked exactly the same as the Gryffindor's common room.
She turned the Head Girl. It was the girl with the wavy black hair she saw at Hogsmeade. Her name was Sydney Chang, Cho Chang's younger sister.
"Miss Chang, is everyone here?" Hermione asked quietly.
"Yes, Professor."
"Excellent," she said. Hermione looked at her the silent crowd. In an authoritative voice, she began her speech.
"Good evening, Ravenclaws. I am Hermione Granger. I am your Head of House and Charms teacher this year. I am sure all of you have noticed from tonight's dinner that I am the youngest member of the Hogwarts staff. This does not mean you can treat me any differently than you would your other professors. I like respect and I will regard you with the same amount of respect you show me. Unlike Professor Snape, I will not turn a blind eye on any misbehaving from my House. I do not want to take points away from my own House, but I will not tolerate any type of demeanor that will bring shame or disgrace to our House. As Ravenclaws, I'm sure you already assumed this."
Hermione paused and gave them a small smile. Ravenclaws were known for their intelligence and intuitiveness.
"It has come to my attention that this House has yet to win the House Cup and Quidditch Cup for many years. I plan to change that. It is my intention to win both Cups this year. It is not as far-fetched as it may sound. In order to achieve these goals, I expect all Ravenclaws to be model students. I expect our Quidditch team to practice as soon as possible and as often as possible. Strategy, competitiveness, and aggressiveness are the keys to success. As your Head of House, I expect excellence. On that same note, do not hesitate to come to me with your problems, ask for assistance or to just talk. I hope you all take advantage of this since I am closer to your age than the other Heads are to their Houses. I will be more understanding. Are there any questions?"
There was a beat of silence until a boy hand raised his hand. It was the boy with brown from Hogsmeade. She noticed a prefect's badge on his chest.
"Yes? Please state your name and year for me."
"Peter Patil, 7th year. Weren't you in Gryffindor House when you were a student? I thought only an alumni of a House could be the Head of it."
'He's the one at Hogsmeade who said I was hot. Anyway, time to do get creative,' Hermione quickly thought to herself.
"A very intelligent question, Mr. Patil. The Sorting Hat had a difficult time deciding whether I should belong to Ravenclaw or Gryffindor. But, in the end, yes, I was sorted into Gryffindor. I had, and still have, strong qualities from both Houses. Professor Dumbledore made an exception for me because of that."
She waited for Peter's reaction. He then nodded understandingly. Although she didn't show it, she was relieved. 'My improvisation is not too shabby.'
"Any other questions?"
A girl's hand raised. It was the girl with the short blonde hair from Hogsmeade. She too had a prefect's badge.
"Yes?"
"Paige Goldstein, 7th year. I have two questions. First, are you from America?"
Hermione smiled at her. "I've lived in America for some time now, but I'm originally from here. What was your second question, Ms. Goldstein?"
"Where do we go if we need to talk to you?"
"You are welcome to visit my chambers in the dungeons. My portrait is Sir Henry Rhode."
"Why are your chambers in the dungeons?" asked a boy with spiked red hair.
"And who are you?" asked Hermione.
"Kyle Boot, 7th year," he said.
"Well, Mr. Boot, since Professor Flitwick is on sabbatical, he left most of his belongings in his chambers. Neither Headmaster Dumbledore nor myself wanted to disturb any of his possessions. The only other free chamber was in the dungeons. Ms. Chang?"
"What were you doing before you came to teach here?"
"I've just recently graduated from medical school. Before I start working as a Medi-Witch at St. Mungo's, I'm taking this year off to rest up a bit, if you can call what I'm doing 'resting'. I majored in medicinal potions and pharmaceuticals. This year, while I'm teaching, I will also be studying under Professor Snape to get my Potions Mistress title."
"Are you certain you won't be under Snape doing something else this year as well?" asked a voice in the back of the common room.
Only a two or three students snickered at this but then were instantly silent. As for the rest of them, there was a collective gasp that turned into a shocked silence. All the Ravenclaws were wondering what would happen next. The suspense was killing them.
Hermione looked cool and collected but inside she was just as shocked and in disbelief as the rest of them.
"What was that?" Hermione asked.
"Are you sure you two won't be engaged in any other 'extra curricular activities'?" the voice asked again.
"Step forward. Show yourself," Hermione ordered.
A boy appeared from the back of the common room and walked towards her. He stopped until he was two feet away, standing directly in front of her. He was wearing smirk.
"State your name and year."
"Anton Zabini, 7th year." he said with arrogance in his voice.
"Mr. Zabini, your 'questions' were inappropriate and immature. And did I not just say that I expect all Ravenclaws to be model students? And that as your Head of House and professor, I want respect?"
He rolled his eyes. "Oh, come off it. We've all heard the rumors about you and your lover, Snape."
"Rumors are rumors, Mr. Zabini. They are unsubstantiated and contorted half-truths. It is foolish of you to even entertain the notion of believing them, let alone continuing them. I would have expected more sense from a Ravenclaw."
He rolled his eyes again, sighed loudly, and made a sour face.
"Since today is the first day of the term, I will be merciful and overlook your remarks. The last thing this House needs is to be in the negatives before the first day of lessons. I expect you to control yourself from now on Mr. Zabini. If you cannot do that, there will be dire consequences."
He smirked again. "Yes, ma'am," Anton said politely. He turned around and walked to his original spot in the back of the common room. The room was still filled with silence.
"Are there any other appropriate questions?" she asked.
No one raised their hand. Hermione couldn't decide if their stillness was caused by fear, shock or if they just ran out of questions to ask.
"No? Very well, then. Everyone go off to bed. You all have a big day in store for you tomorrow. Good night."
With that she left the common room and walked back to her chambers.
'I wonder what a Zabini is doing in Ravenclaw. How dare he defy my authority like that! And his smirks remind me of Draco Malfoy's trademark smirk. Those two are probably related -- like all pureblood families are.'
She stopped in front of her portrait.
"Good evening, Sir Henry."
"Good evening, Lady Hermione. I daresay, you look upset. Is something troubling you?"
"Oh, no. Not at all. I just have a lot on my mind. First day of class is tomorrow, after all." Even though as a Secret Auror, she was required to be an expert prevaricator, Hermione still hoped that he would believe her lie.
"Do not worry yourself, milady. You will do a splendid job."
She smiled. "You always have a kind word to say, sir. Too bad chivalry's dead."
"Dead? Chivalry shall never die."
'Oh, yeah. He's a knight," Hermione thought.
"I gotta go to sleep. I have an early morning meeting tomorrow. Smokey Joe's Cafe."
"Of course. Good night, milady."
"G'night, Sir Henry."
She walked in and changed into her pajamas. There was a staff meeting tomorrow morning after breakfast before classes started. Hermione climbed into bed and immediately fell asleep.
A/N: Please review. All reviews and suggestions are welcomed. Flames are discouraged.